to wonder if a high ponytail sends a message I'm unaware of?

[AuntieWithAttitude]

I was watching a friend's kid after school and told her about a summer camp where I used to work. We often helped the kids put their hair in 'camper buns'—a messy bun right on top of their heads. She asked me to do it for her, but didn't like it, so we ended up with a super high ponytail instead. She loved it and had fun swishing it around.

When her mum saw it, she commented on how high it was and then lowered it.
I didn't really think too much of it, until today on TV a character wore a high ponytail, and other characters remarked on how high it was, saying things like 'erm, are you sure you want to wear your hair like that?'.

Am I missing something about the significance of high ponytails? I can be bad at this stuff, subtle cues and such, I'm wondering if I've caused offence to my friend somehow. She seemed really weird about it. Don't want to make the same mistake again if I've misunderstood the significance of something.

High and tight ponies look nice, but they can also give headaches and if worn habitually can actually make the hairline recede due to the tension on the hair. JoJo Siwa's hairline changed a lot once "high and tight ponies with a JoJo bow" became her brand.

Fuss about nothing.

😅Aye. But they’re the best threads tbf!

That’s true - I love threads like this.

I can think of plenty of those various groups for which more acceptable words are now used, which is why I asked which descriptor those who don't like the word "chav" would prefer to be used instead - maybe for example "underclass" but that's not quite the same?
You can't say you don't like a word being used but then not offer a more acceptable ( to you) alternative. Chavs exist as a group, everyone knows what it means, they won't go away if no one refers to them.

Congratulations, it means you're Ariana Grande!

No seriously, tight high ponytails aren't seen as a good idea these days because they weaken and losen the hair follicle especially around the hairline.

I had no idea about the significance until you said that - then it reminded me that is true. I go to kink clubs, it's not my kink but if wearing a full latex mask, women often have a fake ponytail coming out of the top. So you may well be right. But it's quite niche, anyone seeing it and making the connection would probably have to know a bit about kink